Austrian nobility
As most of modern Austria used to be part of the Holy Roman Empire, the same system of nobility applied as in what is today Germany.
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History
From 1453 onwards, the Archduke of Austria had the right to confer nobility on non-nobles, as did the Archbishop of Salzburg, which remained an independent territory. Beside the Holy Roman Emperor (an office which was almost uninterruptedly held by the Archduke of Austria from 1438 to 1806 anyway), only a few territoral rulers within the Empire had this right.
After the abolition of the Empire in 1806, the Habsburg rulers, who where Austrian Emperors from 1804 onwards, continued to elevate deserving indivuals to nobility until the end of the monarchy in 1918.
Burgenland
On the former status of nobility in Burgenland, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary until 1921, see Hungarian nobility.
Abolition of nobility in 1919
The Adelsaufhebungsgesetz of 1919 (Law on the Abolition of Nobility) abolished all noble privileges and, other than in Germany, also noble titles and names. Thus, no citizen of Austria can have any noble titles or even particles such as von and zu in his or her name. For example, the name of the grandson of the last Austrian emperor is simply Karl Habsburg. Similarly, Friedrich von Hayek became Friedrich Hayek and Kurt von Schuschnigg became Kurt Schuschnigg.
This may sometimes be confusing, as descendents of nobles are sometimes referred to with noble names abroad, even though this is not legally accurate with respect to Austrian citizens. Also, different members of noble families often hold different citizenships, such as in the case of Otto von Habsburg (the son of the last Austrian emperor and father of the Karl Habsburg mentioned above), who is a citizen of Germany, which is why the Austrian law does not apply to him. The law does not apply to artistic, performer's or "stage names," where the von is sometimes used, as in the case of conductor Herbert von Karajan or the musician Hubert von Goisern. However, stage names are never recognized for official purposes.
The law was never repealed, not even during the period of Austrofascism (1934–1938). Following the Anschluss to Nazi Germany (1938–1945), this law remained active, although it was not enforced.
Also see
Categories: Austria-related stubs | Historical stubs | Austrian history | Austrian nobility